Tears Of Blood
by DreamSongOfThunderClan
Summary: Dream, the daughter of Scourge, will go on journey that will lead her to the love of her life, Ashfur. I suck at summaries! Will contain lemons later on in the story.
1. Dream, BloodClan

The sounds of water dripping filled the ally way. Dream made her way up the worn cobble stone path of BloodClan territory. She hated the scent of death that filled the air, and the agonizing screeches of pain.

"Hey, Dream get over here, your Dad wants you!"

Dream tilted her ears to where the meow came from, and turned her eyes to the black and white tom standing before her. She nodded and meowed an, "Okay." Dream followed the black and white pelt farther into the shadows towards her father's den. She was often afraid of visiting her father. Most of the time, he asked her if she had made her first kill. Every cat in BloodClan was obligated to have made their first kill by their first year of existence ended. She resented this rule, she hated bloodshed even though she was in this Clan, where killing was rewarded and victory was expected.

The black and white tom, Bone, led her into a large opening in the alley way, trash surrounded the area and in the middle of the opening, a large pile of old two leg stuff were stacked on top of each other. Her father waved his black tail at every other cat in his den area to leave. Every cat quickly dispersed in a scared manner, her father was to be obeyed.

"You as well, Bone." Her father meowed in his icy, high-pitched voice.

"As you wish, Scourge." Bone replied.

Scourge's eyes followed Bone's body and as soon as he left the room, he slid his icy gaze towards me.

He let out a deep breath, and meowed, "You know what I am going to ask, so answer it please."

"Father, I have not made my first kill yet." Dream nervously meowed. I stared at my paws and shuffled them nervously, waiting for a reply.

She waited in chilly silence, until Scourge finally replied, "Very well, tomorrow I will have something arranged for you, you are reaching your eleventh moon, I will not kill my own daughter because she refused to make her first kill!"

In BloodClan, if you had not made your first kill by your twelfth moon, you were exiled.

"But father I do not want t-"

"There are no expections!" Scourge hissed icily.

"Now, get out of my sight, and be prepared for tomorrow." He added angrily.

Dream hurriedly sprinted out of the room. She began to nervously pace the alley way, many questions lingered in her mind.

Who would she kill tomorrow? Would it be someone she cared for? How would she do it?

**Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be released soon! :) This is my first story, constructive criticism please! **

**REVIEW AWAY! **


	2. Anxiously Waiting The Dream

Dream circled into her nest, bits of old Twoleg paper, and closed her eyes. Sleep would not come easily for her tonight. Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Dream stared around her. She was in some sort of meadow, not anywhere near BloodClan territory. A waterfall dropped down into a gentle river up ahead, and behind here was a forest. Bird song and the scent of many different cats filled the air. Up ahead she spotted a group of four cats sitting in a circle by the river. She crept through the grass quietly, until she was close enough to hear the cats.

A blue- gray colored she cat meowed, "The battle is coming, Tigerstar will consult with the leader of this 'BloodClan' soon. "

Her ears perked up in interest when she heard the mention of her Clan.

She could see worry in the eyes of every cat in the small group.

Another cat, a mangy gray she cat with eyes the color of the sun, replied, "We all knew Tigerstar was up to something, he hasn't forgotten to his promise to kill Firestar."

Every cat nodded and a huge golden colored tom cat who resembled a lion added, "Some good will be brought to ThunderClan soon enough. I keep seeing a silver tabby she cat in my dreams, along with the apprentice Ashpaw."

A tortoiseshell colored tom with an unusual red tail nodded in agreement.

The blue-gray she cat sighed and meowed, "I heard she has a prophecy much like Firestar's."

The golden tom nodded and meowed, "Blood will rise, but dreams will unite the Clans to defeat the wave."

"Well, Lionheart, we will have to look into this further when the time comes, and Bluestar, she will have a fate a lot like his." The mangy gray she cat meowed.

Lionheart meowed tiredly, "Well goodnight you three, and Redtail would you meet me in the forest tomorrow?"

Redtail nodded, and the cats dispersed.

Dream watched them leave, her eyes narrowed in confusion. A silver tabby she cat? She stared at her own silver tabby pelt. Could it be possible they were talking about her?

Dream woke with a start and gazed around her surroundings. She was back in the alley way. She blinked the sleep out of her green eyes, and sat in her nest for a while, thinking still about the dream she had last night.

She hastily cleaned her pelt, and headed off to try and find something to eat. Food was not easy to come across in BloodClan. Many fights broke out, and many of those fights lead to death.

She lifted her snout to the sky and sniffed deeply. She smelled the scent of rat just ahead.

Lowering down into a hunting crouch, she made her away silently across the cobblestone towards the scent. She could see a skinny pink tail moving about in the trash.

She bunched up her haunches, ready to pounce. Suddenly, another cat leapt forward and caught the rat before she could.

Dream snarled, "That was my kill you f-."

"Calm down, it is only me you rat brain."

Her eyes softened at the sight of her best friend, Tails.

Tails padded forward and rubbed her brown pelt against her friend's silver fur.

Dream sighed and meowed, "You nearly scared me out of my skin!"

Tails chuckled and replied, "Sorry about that."

Tails pushed the rat towards Dream and meowed, "Share?"

Dream smiled and nodded, crouching down the take a bite of the rat.

"Where have you been Tails, I haven't seen you in a while?" Dream meowed.

"Around, been with Claw a ton, I think he is the one!" She meowed dreamily.

Dream rolled her eyes and meowed, "Have you made your first kill yet?"

Tails shifted uncomfortably and nodded, "Yes, my first was the sickly old cat that lived at the end of the alley."

Dream sighed and meowed, "It is alright, we are obligated to do it after all, and I guess it's good that you put her out of her misery, she was really sick."

Tails meowed, "Yeah, I know."

Once they had finished up their meal, they moved cleaned each other's pelts.

Dream stood up and meowed, "I have got to go meet my father in his den, he is setting up my first kill today, haven't done it yet, see you around Tails."

Tails meowed a quick 'Good Luck' and ran off.

Dream stood at the entrance of her father's den and let out a deep sigh. She pushed her way into the opening to see her father's small shape at the top of the pile.

"Good morning Dream, let's get started." Scourge hissed.


	3. The Kill

Dream carefully picked her way through the decaying carcasses of all sorts of crowfood . She sat down, wrapping her silver and white striped tail around are white paws, and lifted her green eyes to her father. She narrowed her eyes, suddenly finding courage deep inside of her to face the wrath of him.

Scourge flicked his ears and lifted the corners of his mouth into a sinister smile.

"Bring him out." He hissed joyfully.

Dream's eyes darted to wear the sound of hissing and claws against concrete sounded. Bone was dragging a gray and white spotted tom from Scourge's sleeping area.

Her eyes widened in disbelief and dread. Claw! Tail's mate? Why, have all cats did Scourge choose him?

She would never hear the end of it from Tails, she would never forgive her! Claw was her friend too!

"No, I will not kill him." Dream growled. She kept her head high and shoulders tense, staring deeply into her father's eyes. Challenging him.

"Oh, but darling you have no choice!" Scourge said in a mocking tone. "It is either, you kill him, or I will kill him, and I will be forced to kill you as well."

Dream stared at her paws, wondering what she should do. Lifting her head, she met eye contact with Claw. His amber eyes were understanding, he merely nodded and mouthed the words, "Dream, just do it."

Bone harshly grabbed Claw's scruff and tossed him towards Dream, his now mangy body skidding across the room.

She narrowed her eyes in pity, gave one last menacing look at her father, and leaned over to Claw's body. She whispered into his ear, "I'm so sorry Claw, I will never forget you. I promise I will make this quick."

She saw a slight nod of his head, and backed up, starting her little show for her father.

"Claw, you are such a rat brain!" She hissed in mock hatred.

"You are a scrawny weakling; I will kill you before you can even lift a paw!"

"Get up and fight!" She screeched.

Claw stood up, and his legs collapsed under him, looks like he has not gotten good treatment lately.

"You piece of dirt!" She spat.

She leaped onto him, careful not to hurt him, and whispered, "Goodbye my friend."

She looked into his eyes one last time, and lowered her head to sink her teeth into his neck.

Blood began to drip down his scruff, and he struggled to breath for a while. Slowly, his heart stopped beating. He looked at Dream and his look was forgiving.

His eyelids shut and gave two last wheezing breaths, and he was gone.

A moment of silence passed by.

"Well done my daughter!" Scourge praised. "I knew you had it in you."

She shrugged her shoulders and pushed past Bone out into the main alley.

She broke into a sprint, leaping over walls, avoiding everyone she saw. She made it all the way to Twoleg place until she skidded to a stop.

Dream plopped down until her stomach, her belly fur being soaked by the morning dew in the Twoleg's garden. Finally, she fell into a deep sleep.

_She awoke in the same place as she did before. The waterfall sounded in the distance, and birds chirped in the forest behind her. She lowered down and made her way towards where the cats were before. _

_Dream lifted her snout to the sky and inhaled deeply. She smelt cats, but not any fresh scents. She explored the shore of the river, heading towards the forest._

_The trees seemed to dance in the rhythmic wind. The grass waved peacefully in the soft breeze. _

_Carefully, she placed her white paws in front of her, wary of this new territory. _

_Dream heard the sound of a twig snapping behind her, and whipped around. Standing in the opening of a bush, was the blue gray she cat, Bluestar, from the group of cats in her previous dream. _

"_Hello, I am Bluestar, who are you?" Bluestar meowed tensely. _

"_I am Dream, I fell asleep and appeared her, I have visited this place in my sleep twice now, and I am from BloodClan." She meowed calmly. _

_Bluestar's eyes widened. Her tail waved from side to side and she pondered Dream's answer for a while. _

"_Come with me, Dream." She meowed hurriedly. _


	4. Mystery Cat

_Dream tilted her head, and her eyes followed Bluestar as she walked back towards the waterfall. Bluestar stopped, and motioned with her tail for Dream to follow her. Dream ran to catch up and padded at a brisk pace behind Bluestar._

_In a few moments, they reached the waterfall, and to Dream's surprise, Bluestar disappeared behind the wall of water._

"_Come!" Bluestar meowed. _

_Dream followed her into a cave, moss hung from the rock ceiling in sheets, and the paw prints of many cats were set into the sand below her paws._

_She followed Bluestar further into the cave, where a separate cavern opened up. On the ceiling of the cavern was a hole, sunlight peered through, lighting the whole cavern up. _

_Bluestar padded to the middle of the room, and sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws, and gesturing Dream to come sit with her._

_Dream flicked her eyes and padded over to sit in front of her. _

"_Dream, you said you are from BloodClan?" _

_Dream nodded, and stared into Bluestar's eyes._

_Bluestar let out a deep sigh and murmured to herself quietly, "Blood will rise, but dreams will unite the Clans to defeat the wave." _

_Dream eyes widened and she a meowed, "I have heard that before, the golden cat said in my previous dream."_

_Bluestar's eyes narrowed and she hissed, "I had the feeling someone was listening to us!" _

_She began to pace the room, walking back in forth in front of Dream._

_Dream twitched her tail and meowed, "Was it me you all were talking about?"_

_Bluestar stopped pacing for a moment, looked at her briefly, and then began to pace again._

_After what seemed like hours, Bluestar finally meowed, "I think so, yes. But I am not entirely sure, tomorrow night, meet me again in the same place in the forest, Lionheart will be with me."_

_Dream nodded, her eyes following Bluestar's every movement intently._

"_I am almost positive that it is you, why else would StarClan send you here?"_

_Dream's eyes narrowed into confusion and she tilted her head._

"_You will learn more about all that later on in the story." _

_Dream nodded and meowed, "Is that all you want me to do?"_

_Bluestar stopped and looked at her again, "No actually, as soon as you wake, eat, and then I want you to head towards the forest, camp out there, hide from all of the cats except one."_

_Dream nodded again and meowed, "Who is this cat?"_

"_Firestar. I will tell him about you. He is an orange tom, the color of fire. He has forest green eyes, and he is a kind and brave cat. You will know when you find him; he usually hunts that part of the forest alone anyways." Bluestar explained._

"_Okay." Dream meowed._

"_I am asking you to leave BloodClan, is that alright?"_

"_Of course, I would still have left even if you had not asked!" Dream laughed. _

_Bluestar smiled weakly, "Remember, stay there until you find him, you can hunt of course, but hunt in Twoleg place, ThunderClan is already short of prey this leaf-fall." _

_Dream flicked her tail and agreement and meowed, "Okay, go to the forest, hide until I find Firestar, only eat at the Twoleg place. Got it."_

"_Oh and one more thing, I know about how you killed that cat today, do not worry it wasn't your fault, we will forgive you." Bluestar soothed._

_Dream sighed in relief and meowed, "Thank you, if you don't mind, I will also apologize to Tails tomorrow."_

_Bluestar nodded in agreement, "Good idea, I will speak to you tomorrow night."_

Dream's eyes fluttered open, and she stared at her surroundings in the Twoleg garden. She had a lot to do this morning.


	5. Forgiven?

Dream stretched her hind legs and yawned. She made her way over the brick walls back to BloodClan territory.

She treaded carefully over the cobblestone path, hoping not to run into Scourge or Bone. After a couple of turns, she finally made it to last place she saw Tails, the trash heap where she caught that rat. She lowered her muzzle to the ground, and breathed in deeply. She could still smell the very faint scent of Tails from two days ago. Dream began to follow the trail.

After some searching, she found herself standing a couple of tail lengths away from the sleeping form of Tails. Dream crouched down, wondering if she should wake her up.

She examined Tails , her once soft brown pelt was now mangy and clumped up into pieces, as if Tails had given up on grooming herself.

She let out a small sigh, closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, and began to walk away quietly.

A snarling sound filled the air, and a brown shape came flying at her, bowling her over. Tails pinned her shoulders down, and snarled, "Wow, you actually decided to return!" Tails growled in mock excitement.

"Tails, I am so, so-"

Tail's paw came slamming down onto her snout, and she screeched, "Shut up!"

Tails dragged her claws quickly over Dream's muzzle and hissed.

Dream jumped up off the ground, sending Tails flying down on to the ground.

"Now you listen to me, Tails. Do you honestly think I wanted to kill Claw? He was my friend too! Scourge made me; he knew what would happen to me! It's his sick, twisted way of torturing people" Dream hissed.

Tails let out a defeated sigh and meowed, "I don't want to talk to you."

Tails turned and began to pad away, tail dragging lightly on the floor.

"Wait; there is something else I need to tell you!" Dream meowed.

Tails stopped, and swiveled her ears to listen to what Dream had to say.

"I'm leaving BloodClan for a while. I don't know if I will be back, I have been having dreams, in some land called StarClan. A cat there told me I am part of something bigger then BloodClan itself. Don't tell Scourge, and I promise I will help you out of the upcoming storm."

Tails tilted her head, and narrowed her eyes in confusion and meowed, "You're leaving?"

Dream merely nodded, and carefully made her way over to Tails, she rubbed her head briefly against her friend's flank. "I promise I will help you out of this, I'm sorry."

Tails sighed and meowed, "I won't tell Scourge, or anybody else, but I'll miss you, but I will see you again, I promise that."

Dream blinked at her friend one last time, smiled, and set off back towards the forest.

She broke into a sprint and hurdled over the walls and through the Twoleg's lawns. Finally, she made way to the break of the trees. She smelled an overwhelming scent of many, many cats. She breathed in and out deeply, stood up, and made her way into the trees, placing her paws cautiously over twigs.

Dream peered over the bramble bushes, and spotted an old badger set, in side of a hollow of an old tree.

She pushed through the bushes, her senses alert. She pointed her nose in the direction of the set and smelled no fresh scents of badger.

She smiled to herself, and trotted quickly inside of the set. The set was made up a tunnel leading to the right, then opening up to a large chamber, and to the left side of the chamber was another tunnel that led to an emergency exit.

Dream curled up inside of the chamber, and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would look for Firestar.


	6. Lost in his eyes

Dream's emerald eyes slowly blinked open, adjusting to the darkness and taking in her new surroundings. She remember coming in to the set, and sighed. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she yawned widely, and stretched.

Her paws lead her out of the set, and back towards Twoleg place, remembering Bluestar telling her to not hunt in ThunderClan territory. Today was the day she would find Firestar. She hoped Bluestar had already told him about herself.

Dream padded back to the set quickly, careful of not being spotted, with a mouse and a garden sparrow in her jaws. She climbed back into the darkness, and began eating.

She groomed her fur hurriedly after eating, and then sat in the shadows at the entrance of the set. She breathed in the air deeply, drawing in the morning forest scents. She smelled a group of cats nearby.

Her ears perked in excitement, and she headed towards the scent, staying close to the bushes in case she had to hide from whoever was lurking out there.

"Firestar, why are we hunting so close to Twoleg place?" A male voice not so far away complained.

Dream's eyes widened at the mention of the Firestar. She crept a bit closer, and spotted a group of four cats. The tom that had just meowed was a snowy colored cat, with light blue eyes.

"Cloudpelt, be quiet, you are scaring off the prey! Stop acting like a silly apprentice!" Scolded an orange cat.

There was Firestar, right in front of her.

Along with Firestar, and Cloudpelt, there were two other cats. One, a pale gray tom with darker gray specks, and the other was a dusky brown she-cat.

"Do you smell that?" The she-cat meowed.

Fire nodded and replied, "Smell what? You three go back to camp and tell Whitestorm to organize a patrol to check the ShadowClan and RiverClan border; you never know when Tigerstar will return."

"Oh, and Ashpaw, I would like you to help me gather the prey."

The gray speckled tom dipped his head, and followed Firestar into the brush.

Dream made sure the other two cats were gone, and then she followed Firestar and Ashpaw. She caught up to them when you were using their front paws to scoop up soil to reach the prey they had buried.

She breathed in deeply. How was she supposed to talk to Firestar? What if they attacked her? Just do it.

One…two…

She stepped confidently out of the brush and meowed, "Firestar?"

Ashpaw spun around and began to hiss at her, his back arched, claws extended.

Firestar held out his tail in front of Ashpaw and meowed, "Now is not the time."

Ashpaw looked at Firestar with a shocked glance, and nodded slightly.

Firestar gazed at her for a moment and then finally meowed, "Are you Dream?"

She breathed out a sigh of relief, and nodded. She waved her tail in greeting to both cats, "Hello."

Ashpaw merely gave her a nod of greeting and looked away. She found herself drawn to the Ashpaw's deep blue eyes; she lost herself in them for a moment.

"Ahem." Firestar chuckled.

Dream looked away, blushing slightly. She glanced at Firestar waiting for his next move.

"Well, Dream, if it is alright with you, I will be taking you back to camp." Firestar stated.

He blinked his forest green eyes warmly. She smiled at his friendly warmth. She could tell she would be good friends with this cat.

Dream followed behind the two cats; barely keeping up in this new terrain.

She listened as Ashpaw voiced his many fears of bringing a stranger into camp. Firestar merely shrugged and meowed, "I have my reasons." Ashpaw swiveled his ears towards her, and twitched the tip of his tail. He said nothing else.

Finally they reached the camp, at the bottom of a ravine. She hopped down after the cats and meowed, "Why am I here?"

Firestar sat down and meowed, "Dream, I am formally inviting you to join my Clan. If you accept, I will introduce you to the Clan, ThunderClan. Keep in mind they do not accept strangers easily."

"Definitely! I would very much enjoy joining your Clan." Dream beamed.

Firestar purred, "Great! Now Ashpaw, go put the prey on the pile, don't tell the Clan yet, we will be in shortly."

Ashpaw meowed a quick, 'OK', and headed off.

"First off, I would like to confirm my thoughts. You were told to look for me by Bluestar, were you not?"

Dream nodded and meowed, "She told me to hang around the territory, and look for you, and that she would tell you about me."

Firestar flicked his tail and meowed, "She did tell me about you, Dream, you have a huge prophecy. Do you understand that?"

Dream nodded and meowed, "Bluestar told me that too."

"Alright, let me tell you that these cats will not take kindly to you entering the camp. I will assign Ashpaw as your 'helper' for a while. He will show you around camp, and introduce you to the other apprentices. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Dream responded.

"Oh yeah, and ignore the stares. Don't acknowledge them. We will speak more about the situation later, stay close to my side." Firestar meowed.

Dream breathed in deeply, closed her eyes for a moment, and then followed the orange tail into the tunnel that lead into camp.


	7. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Dear Readers,**

**Thank you so much for reviewing my story and reading it! It means a lot! If you read, please review, constructive criticism is allowed (: Also, please forgive me for not updating! I had no idea I had people waiting for me to update; please forgive me for such short chapters as well. I have been busy because last week was my first week of school. Tomorrow, a new and long chapter will be up! Expect some Ash/Dream action next chapter ;) (NOT LEMONS YET LOL)**

**Thanks, Dreamsong **


	8. Welcome, Dreampaw

Eyes bore into her pelt as Dream followed Firestar towards his den. Firestar stopped abruptly to speak to a white cat Firestar introduced to her as, 'Whitestorm.' Dream's eyes explored the camp for a while. She saw many cats, of different ages. Towards her right was the nursery, kits tumbled out of the entrance after their mother. Behind her, near the entrance, was a large overhanging yew bush, many older cats sat grooming each other's pelts and sharing fresh kill. Firestar's den was ahead, and to the far right, a few cats play fought next to a tree stump. Next to that, was a fallen tree; inside of it were elder cats. And finally, to the far left of Firestar's den, was a fern tunnel leading to another den.

Whitestorm blinked warmly at her, and she smiled. Firestar beckoned to Dream with his tail for her to follow him into his den. He climbed into the darkness and sat in his nest. Dream sat in front of him, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she looked around. Firestar flicked his ears and meowed, "Well, Dream, after I am done speaking to you, I will introduce you to my Clan."

Dream nodded and waved her tail in agreement, "Sounds good to me." Firestar smiled and then meowed, "But there are many things about joining a Clan you should know."

"Go on."

"Well, first off, the pregnant female cats stay in the nursery, and watch over their kits until they reach six moons. From then on, they become apprentices, like Ashpaw, and are mentored by a warrior, like Whitestorm. After about another six moons of training, they become warriors themselves. Warriors protect their Clan, no matter what; they would die for their Clan if they were asked to."

Dream nodded, taking it all in.

"Warriors and apprentices hunt for the Clan, and queens and elders are always fed first. There are three other Clans, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. Cats may only become mates with cats in their own Clan, no other Clan. Different Clans may not intrude into another Clan's territory, or steal their prey. There are battles at times."

"Okay."

"I am the leader of ThunderClan; there are leaders for each Clan. Once a moon, on the night of the full moon, all the Clans meet at a hollow called Four Trees, where we share news. Each camp also has a medicine cat. They are trained to keep care of sick cats, cats in labor, and wounds as well. Also, each leader has a deputy, or second in charge. They become leader once the current leader dies. Each leader has nine lines, granted by StarClan."

"Really?" Dream's eyes widened in surprise.

Firestar nodded and meowed, "One last thing, you will have to change your name to be in the Clan."

Dream's head tilted and questioned him, "Why is that?"

"Each cat has their own name of honor given to them by their leader."

"That is fine with me I guess."

"Great, by the way, you will be becoming in apprentice." Firestar replied.

"Okay."

She padded beside Firestar outside of his den, and then on top of what he called, 'The Highrock.'

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Firestar called out.

Dream watched as many cats gathered beneath Highrock, and stared at her questioningly.

"Cats of ThunderClan, today I will be taking in this young she-cat into our Clan."

A couple of outraged screeches echoed out from the crowd.

"Do you think it is wise to bring in another outsider?" A voice called.

A couple of more voices sounded out.

"Who is she?"

"Where is she from?"

"She doesn't smell like any kittypet I have ever smelled!"

Dream turned to Firestar and whispered, "Kittypet?"

"House cat." He replied.

She nodded, and watched as Firestar stopped their outraged calls by calling out, "This is my Clan, and my decision! Do you all regret bringing in Cloudtail or me in to the Clan?"

The cats all silenced beneath him, and he continued, "This cat is no kittypet, or rogue, she is a part of something much bigger than that. I will ask you all to accept her, and you will not regret it."

Several cats nodded in agreement, and a couple remained silent, staring ahead at Firestar with narrowed eyes.

"Dream, you have reached your six moons by now, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Dreampaw. I will be your mentor because you have much to learn about the Clans, and I feel that would be the best choice for you. I hope I can pass down all I know to you."

Firestar leaned down, and Dreampaw touched noses with him.

He smiled and whispered in her ear, "Welcome to the Clan, Dreampaw."

The Clan erupted into cheers of: "Dreampaw! Dreampaw! Dreampaw!"

Firestar leapt off of the Highrock, and Dreampaw followed.

"Welcome to the Clan, youngster." Whitestorm purred.

She got many more welcomes from almost all of the Clan, and she smiled from all the warmth radiating towards her.

Firestar padded up to her and meowed, "I will assign Ashpaw to give you a tour around camp, if you'd like."

"Sure!" She smiled.

Firestar gestured Ashpaw over and he bounded over and meowed, "Congrats, newbie." He smiled and she gave a _mraw _of laughter.

"This is the warriors den; the warriors sleep her, of course. The most senior warriors sleep in the center, and the newest warriors sleep in around closer to the edges."

Dreampaw nodded, and meowed, "Okay, how about this one?" She gestured towards the fern tunnel den. That is the medicine cat den, our medicine cat at the moment is Cinderpelt. She trained to be a warrior long ago, until she got ran over by a monster, and she can't walk properly. So she took the job of being a medicine cat."

Ashpaw skipped over Firestar's den, and then meowed, "Here is the elders den, and next to it is the nursery, behind there is the dirt place."

He wrinkled his nose and they both twitched their whiskers in amusement.

She followed after him as he padded towards the tree stump den.

"Here is the apprentice den; you and I will be staying here along with the other apprentices."

He pushed his way into the den, and gestured towards two nests in the corner, "That nest is mine, the others is yours, I put yours there, is that alright?"

"Fine by me." She replied with a smile.

"Great, well, now the tour is over. Want to go hunt or something?"

"Sure! Beat you there!" She shouted over her shoulder.

They both sprinted out of the entrance and up the ravine, and landed in a heap of laughter.

"Beat you!" She boasted.

He took a swipe at her with a sheathed paw and laughed. "Well, I bet I can catch more prey then you!"

"Oh really? Meet you here at sunhigh, whoever has the most wins!" She challenged.

They both set off in opposite directions.

At sunhigh, they both returned with a huge pile of prey. "I won this time!" Ashpaw purred.

"Yeah, you did! I will beat you next time!" She replied.

"So tell me, where exactly did you come from Dreampaw?" Ashpaw questioned.

"Well, there is another Clan that lives in Twoleg place, called BloodClan. It is not at all like your Clan! We have to fight for our food, and there is no organization, just a whole bunch of cats spread out and the leader, Scourge. He is my father, by the way. I hated it there. So I came here."

"Another Clan? Really?" Ashpaw meowed in surprise.

Dreampaw nodded and meowed, "So, who is your mentor?"

"Dustpelt, he is a good cat, but nothing like Firestar! You're lucky!" Ashpaw purred.

Dream nodded, "Yeah, he is a really great cat!"

"I bet I could beat you at a play fight!" Ashpaw meowed.

He lowered on to his haunches, and waved his tail, smiling at her.

She lowered on to her haunches as well and meowed, "Try me!"

He leapt at her, bowling her over. She used her sheathed paws to pound at his stomach until she finally rolled out from underneath him. She leapt on to his back and bit his ear gently. He bucked her off and yanked at her tail gently. Dream twisted around and leapt on top of me, pinning his shoulders to the ground.

Dreampaw felt their noses touch, and her eyes widened. Underneath her, Ashpaw was smiling. She moved her nose away from his, and blushed.

"Sorry about that." She meowed, embarrassed.

She blushed, and he nuzzled her cheek. "It's alright, were friends now, I can tell we are going to be good friends at that." He purred.


	9. A Heart Beating with Love

Dream rolled out from under him and purred, "Yeah, we will. Let's get this prey to the elders!"

Ashpaw gathered his pile together and began to walk towards the ravine, and Dreampaw follow with her prey. She couldn't help but admire the muscles that rippled under his pelt and found herself gazing dreamily at him.

"Dream, one day, could you show me your old Clan?" Ashpaw meowed.

"I don't know Ashpaw, if they found me, they would kill me, or worse." She murmured.

"What's worse than being killed?" Ashpaw questioned.

"Many things. Being tortured, force mated with…" She muttered angrily.

Ashpaw stopped in his tracks, and snarled, his back arching. "Force mating? If they ever did that to you I would kill them! I wouldn't let them do that to you!" He meowed.

Dreampaw smiled thankfully at him, and listened as he went on.

"You know, I really don't think it's proper to mate unless you are actually mates with the cat, and you love them."

Dreampaw nodded her head in agreement, "I'll take you to BloodClan, because you're my friend, but you have to promise to not let yourself be seen!"

Ashpaw nodded and purred, "Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

Ashpaw followed Dreampaw into the camp, and emptied his prey out into the freshkill pile.

"Grab two pieces of prey for the elders that should be enough to fill their bellies."

Dreampaw grabbed a squirrel and a sparrow, and padded towards the elder's den.

Ashpaw meowed, "Good afternoon!"

The elders all meowed a cheery greeting and a tortoiseshell colored she cat purred, "Thank StarClan you bought prey!"

Dreampaw padded over to her and laid the squirrel at her paws.

"Thank you, dear. So how are you liking ThunderClan?"

"It's great! Thanks for asking." She responded.

"No problem, I am glad to see you like it here. One piece of advice, dear, many cats here in ThunderClan don't take to well to newcomers, and neither will some of the cats from the other Clans. Don't pay any attention to them. Everything happens for a reason!" She purred.

The elder cat had a strange twinkle in her eye, as if she knew more then she was saying.

Dreampaw merely nodded and meowed, "Thanks, Dappletail."

She laid prey at each of the elder's feet, and followed Ashpaw out of the den's entrance. Her stomach growled and Ashpaw gave her an amused look.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"Starving!"

They both bounded over the fresh kill pile, and skidded to a stop. Dreampaw stopped to poke around the fresh kill pile, wondering what to get.

"Did you feed the elders?" A familiar voice sounded.

She looked up, and saw Firestar sitting next to her, his eyes lit with warmth, and a smile on his face.

"Of course, Firestar." She purred.

"Good, tomorrow, be awake by dawn, I will be giving you a tour of the territory."

"Yes Firestar."

Firestar nudged her flanked, and padded off to a group of senior warriors near his den, including Whitestorm.

Dreampaw finally decided on a squirrel, and padded over to Ashpaw by the tree stump.

"Hey." He meowed.

He poked at his food and sighed, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Well, remember how you told me they force-mated in your old Clan?"

"Yeah, what about that?"

"Did they ever do that to you?"

"No! Why do you ask?"

"Thank StarClan! It had me worrying all day!" He purred in relief.

Ashpaw licked her shoulder and began to eat his rabbit.

She gave a small _mraw _of laughter, and began to eat her squirrel as well.

Once they had finished their food, they began to groom each other's pelts.

"How do you like being an apprentice?"

"It's really, really great!"

"That's good, hey, you have a flea on your shoulder, let me get it off for you."

Ashpaw plucked the flea off of her shoulder, and purred, "There you go!"

"Thanks!"

"No problem!"

He licked her ear and meowed, "Come on, I am going to introduce you to the other apprentices."

She followed him into the apprentice den, and gazed at the five cats standing before her.

Ashpaw gestured towards a she cat that looked a lot like him and meowed, "This is Fernpaw, my sister."

The dark brown cat in the corner was Bramblepaw, and the tortoiseshell she cat was Tawnypaw, a golden brown tom named Thornpaw, and a ginger and white she cat named Brightpaw.

Brightpaw turned to face her, and Dreampaw ears flicked.

"Hi, Dreampaw." Brightpaw meowed.

"Hey." She responded.

Half of Brightpaw's face was torn away, pink scars was all that was left of it.

Brightpaw seemed to sense her looking, and turned away, shuffling her paws.

"Don't worry; you are the same as any cat to me. I won't judge you based on your looks." Dreampaw meowed.

Brightpaw turned to face her, and smile spread across her face, and Dreampaw smiled as well.

"Thanks, welcome to ThunderClan." She purred in response.

All the apprentices seemed to be settling down for the night, and Ashpaw nudged her flank and meowed, "Ready to go to bed?"

"Yeah." She responded.

She curled up beside Ashpaw in her nest, and let out a happy sigh. She licked Ashpaw's ear thankfully and meowed, "Thanks for showing me around today, and keeping me company."

"It was my pleasure really, good night Dreampaw."

Dreampaw rested her head on her paws, and fell asleep.

_Dreampaw awoke in the same place she was in her dream a couple of days ago. She bounded towards the stream, wanting to speak to Bluestar._

"_Bluestar?" She called out._

"_Over here!" Bluestar called._

_Dreampaw whipped around, and saw Bluestar standing by the break of the forest. Bluestar waved her tail, and Dreampaw ran over to her._

"_Good evening, Bluestar."_

"_Good evening to you to, Dream_paw"

_Dreampaw purred at the sound of her new name, and meowed, "I have a couple of things to ask you."_

"Shoot."

"_One, you remember how Lionheart said that me and Ashpaw were in his dream together?"_

"_Yes, why?"_

"_Why is it that we were in his dream?"_

"_You have heard of the love, before haven't you?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_Then what do you think Dreampaw?"_

"_That we will be mates one day?"_

"_Yes, but a day far away from now, dark times will come, a newcomer will break into his heart, but they will not last, remember that."_

_Dreampaw narrowed her eyes, and took it all in, "Ok."_

"_Fire will burn into ashes." Bluestar murmured. _

Dreampaw woke with a start in her nest beside the sleeping form of Ashpaw.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, and headed out of the apprentice den. The sun was rising over the lake and she realized Firestar would be looking for her soon. She began to lap at her pelt, grooming herself. She glanced approvingly over her now clean pelt, and padded over to where Firestar was speaking to Cloudtail.

She sat a couple of tail lengths away, giving the two some privacy.

"Good morning Dreampaw, ready for your tour?" Firestar asked.

She nodded her head eagerly, and he waved his tail, gesturing for her to follow him.

Firestar broke into a sprint, racing over the ravine, and all the way over to Twoleg place. Thankfully, Dreampaw was able to keep up with him.

"Here is Twoleg place, you already know that, and close to here are some Twoleg trails where they walk their dogs, stay away from there if there is a fresh scent. Also, tree cut place is near here, stay away from there in general."

Firestar began to run again, sticking close to the border; eventually they reached a river, and a secluded area with large, smooth stones.

"This is Sunning Rocks, for many moons, RiverClan and ThunderClan have been battling over who owns these stones, right now, there ours."

Firestar points his snout towards the area across the river, "That's RiverClan, take a deep breath. What do you smell?"

Dreampaw breathed in deeply, and wrinkled her nose, "Gross! Smells like fish!"

Firestar chuckled, "My mentor pulled the same trick on me."

"Who was your mentor?" Dreampaw asked.

"Bluestar." Firestar sighed.

"Oh, Bluestar I have see-." Dreampaw stopped.

Firestar tilted his head and meowed, "Hm?"

Dreampaw nodded, and meowed, "Can I tell you later about it?"

Firestar nodded, and meowed," Come on, next stop, Four Trees!"

Dreampaw padded slowly into the camp, she had spent the whole day with Firestar, learning everything there is about the territory. Her muscles were very sore, and she looked forward to relaxing with Ashpaw.

She picked out a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, and laid down next to her friend by the tree stump.

"Hey" She purred.

"Hi!" He meowed cheerfully.

She bit into her mouse and chewed it slowly, savoring the forest like taste.

"Did he tire you out?" He chuckled.

She groaned in response, and he laughed even more.

"You are going to be sore tomorrow!" He purred.

Once they had finished eating, Ashpaw began to knead his paws on to her shoulders, helping her sore muscles relax.

She licked his ear in thanks, and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

~Ashpaw's P.O.V ~

Dreampaw is such a great friend, I am so glad to have her. She understands me.

She is really..beautiful too.

I would love to be her mate, or even the father of her kits.

That would be a time far away from now though, we are only apprentices.

I will wait for her, I would do anything for her.

Do I love her?

Fernpaw says she loves Dustpelt. She says she would die for him, she says she feels like birds are flying around in her stomach when he speaks to her.

Then yes, I do love her.

I love how her lip curls when she concentrates, or when she smiles when she blushes. I love the way her silver fur blows in the wind. I love those green eyes of hers. I love the way she cares for me.

I would wait forever, just for you.


	10. Announcements!

Important Announcements

Hey guys! First off, I would like to thank all of you for favoriting, reading, and reviewing my story. I have a couple of things I would like to announce!

A new chapter will be released by every Monday morning. I would write more, but I do have a lot of school work!

Please do not ask me to out any of your ideas into the story, for I am just too proud to use any of them. But, I may use some of that idea, but twist around a bit.

I am very sorry for any grammar mistakes; I will try my best to fix all of them in the upcoming chapters.

There will be two parts of this story. Part one will be the old forest up until the journey to the sun-down place. Part two will be the lake territory up until the last book, (The Last Hope)

Thanks, Dreamsong ∞


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